Shobha Yatra of Goddess Sharada begins from Kudroli Temple

Shobha Yatra of Goddess Sharada begins from Kudroli Temple

Mangaluru: The Navaratri celebrations came to an end as the procession of the Navadurge’s and Lord Ganesha, worshiped at the Shri Gokarnanatheshwar Temple Kudroli, began here on October 11.

The procession began at 4:30 pm. The Kudroli temple procession has been dubbed as the second best in the state and has truly stood up to its reputation from many years and was a grand affair this year too.

The grand Shobha Yatra will come to an end on 12 October early morning at around 5:00 am at the temple premises after passing through several parts of the city like Kudroli – Kambla – Mannagudda – Ladyhill – Lal Bagh – Ballal Bagh – PVS – Navabharat circle – K S Rao Road – Hampankatta – Mohini Vilas – Car Street – Balaji – New Chitra – Alake Bridge and back to Kudroli.

Durga, the Mother Goddess of the Hindus and a form of Devi and Shakti, is believed to have manifested in various forms. According to the Hindu tradition, Goddess Durga manifested in 3 forms, namely Mahalakshmi, Mahasaraswati and Mahakali. These 3 forms in turn manifested into 3 more forms and thus emerged the Navadurga’s Chandraghanta, Kalratri, Katyayani, Kushmanda, Mahagauri, Shailaputri, Siddhidatri, Skandamata and Brahmancharini.

Devotees thronged the city streets to get a glimpse of idols of goddess Sri Sharada, Navadurge and Lord Ganesha.

Speaking to Mangalorean.com, the founder of Shri Gokarnanatheshwar Temple Kudroli B Janardhan Poojary said, “This is a unique temple. It was consecrated by Shri Brahma Narayana Guru. In Kerala, hundreds of temples have been consecrated by him but in Karnataka, this is the only one. People from walks of life, belonging to every caste, creed and religion come here. Every year, a large number of people gather to witness the festival. In these 10 days of celebrations, lakhs of people, not only from India but also from other parts of the world, visit the temple to offer prayers.”

Poojary further said, “When I was the minister and General Secretary of AICC, I told the entire world that there are Shri Brahma Mandirs in America, London, Germany and other places of the world. His philosophy and teachings are relevant to the entire world. The temple authorities here performed Pujas to over 5000 widows. We offered prayers and we worshiped them. Nowhere in the country, widows are allowed to perform Puja. But we have allowed them to perform Puja inside the temple. Today is a great day for us. We worship Jaganmatha, the creator of all human beings and also the entire world. I have also offered prayers here. I think all the people who have come here, have offered prayers sincerely. This is an inspiration for us. We are not worried about tradition and there has been criticism over this. Some people have criticised me for allowing widows to offer prayers in the temple. There are people who even criticise God. We need to ignore them.”

Speaking to Mangalorean.com, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies U T Khader said, “In the historic Shri Gokarnantheshwara Temple, the Navaratri Shobha Yatra has begun. The holistic procession has begun with discipline. Devotees from in and around Dakshina Kannada have thronged here to seek blessings from Goddess Sharada. Let the Goddess Sharada bless all the people of Dakshina Kannada.”

Speaking to Mangalorean.com, MLA J R Lobo said, “The Mangaluru Dasara celebrations are going on. After Mysuru, the Dasara celebrated in Mangaluru is the second largest in the state. The celebrations over here have been growing like the Mysuru Dasara. I congratulate Janardhan Poojary and all the temple trustees. It is a proud programme and people from various states and other countries come here to witness the Dasara. The crowd gives a feel that this is a tourism destination. The coastal district is popular for Temples, Mosques and churches and the Kudroli temple is visited by people from all walks of life. In the coastal district, people live in peace and harmony and Kudroli temple is one of the destinations which can be called a place of ‘Sarva Dharma Sangama’. Let this Dasara celebration continue and let it be an inspiration for the people to live in peace and harmony.”